Frequently Asked Questions

Etched wine bottles have been around for over 20 years. Previously they were only available to select groups. We are bringing these special bottles to you. Each bottle is sand blasted by hand and painted by hand. It leaves a lasting impression, particularly once customized.

The first step of the process is the creation of your customized message on your chosen bottle design. Once you have done so, the final image is recreated in the form of a stencil. That stencil is affixed to each bottle and then sandblasted to create a deep etched recess.

Once the surface has been etched, it’s essentially roughed up, so that paint can adhere to the sandblasted recess. Each bottle is then hand-painted by our studio artists. The last step is a quality check and packaging & shipping of your fully customized bottle.

There are many reasons for why we are only offering red wines at this time:

Red wines stand up over time better than their white wine cousins (i.e., they last longer)

Red wines provide a “black background,” thereby enhancing the artwork that we etch and paint onto the bottle surface. White wines are see through and offer a clear background surface that is not as ideally suited for this application.

Most red wines offer a certain style of bottle (Bordeaux style) that is best suited for the designs we have created for you.

If our customers demand different offerings, we will add them over time. Just let us know if there’s something you’d like and we will take it into account.

All designs stand on their own and don’t require or necessitate customization. Regardless, you are not obligated to customize any of our designs. All bottle designs can be sold as is, without any further modifications.

To do so, don’t fill in any text in the customization section, order the appropriate number of bottles and click to continue through the ordering process. This will allow you to order the bottle(s) without any customization.

However, we do have a small tag placed on the neck of the bottle and we’d be happy to provide a “To: / From” for you. It doesn’t provide enough space for a personal message, but isn’t that why you bought the bottle? Please indicate the appropriate To/From during the “Confirm Your Selection” phase of your order. Otherwise the tag will be left blank.

Our non-alcoholic wine selections do contain a small fraction of a percentage of alcohol: less than one half of one percent (less than 0.5). The FDA requires that all non-alcoholic beverages contain less than one half of one percent of alcohol per volume.

Each state has its own laws. PersonalWineBottles.com ships wine to certain states in accordance with their individual state laws. Many states prohibit out-of-state retailers from shipping wine to residents of their state.

We ship non-wine/non-alcoholic items to all 50 states. We do not ship internationally at this time.

Again, not all states allow the shipment of wine into their state. If we cannot ship to your state, consider shipping to an alternate legal address or select a non-alcoholic beverage and we can ship that to you directly.

Due to the alcoholic content of our product, an adult (21 years of age or older) must be present at the time of delivery. UPS will not leave packages unattended, even if the customer signs a release. Because of this, we also cannot ship wine to P.O. boxes.

Legally, wine can only be delivered when someone 21 or older is present to sign for the delivery. It’s no different than walking into a liquor store! Our carrier is licensed to ship wine and must comply by obtaining an adult signature for the completed delivery.

The signer does not need to be the person whose name is on the package, but they may have to show proof of age. Customers often prefer to send packages containing wine to a business address where an adult, 21 years or older, will be available to sign for the package.

Please consider these facts if you are shipping to a residential address or consider using a business address instead. Or, you may consider addressing your shipment(s) to a neighbor who is home during normal delivery hours.

Shipping and handling charges may be slightly higher for wine shipments to cover rapid delivery to minimize the chance of damage. This additional cost would be reflected in the shopping cart at checkout.

Wine is a very heavy and fragile product. We use special shipping packaging to ensure it arrives safely. UPS determines the shipping cost of the wine according to the options selected, package size & weight.

Wine should be shipped in cool/mild temperatures. If excessive heat or cold exists at your ship-to location, we recommend nothing less than overnight shipments. If you choose to use a slower service (2 day, 3 day or Ground service), we can not take responsibility for the integrity of the wine, should it cork.

Some destinations require surcharges due to distance & cost of delivery. This is also true of some locales within the 48 contiguous United States as well. UPS determines the shipping cost of the wine according to the options selected, package size & weight.

It is not possible to create a single order with multiple ship-to addresses in the PersonalWineBottles.com Shopping Cart. This is because of the complicated laws with respect to shipping wine on a state by state basis.

But if you’re ordering the same products to multiple addresses, we have a time-saving shortcut: Once your first order to a single recipient is complete, on the Order Confirmation page (where you see your Order Number), look for the large green button that says “Continue Shopping.”

Wine is a very heavy and fragile product. We use special shipping packaging to ensure it arrives safely. UPS determines the shipping cost of the wine according to the options selected, package size & weight.

If your credit card is not accepted and you are bounced back to the Billing Information screen of the shopping cart, you should see a message in red at the top of the screen telling you what information may be missing, is incorrect or if the card has been declined. Generally these errors are related to:

One or more fields were left blank in the Billing Information screen.

One or more fields contained invalid data in the Billing Information screen.

The information provided may not match what your bank has on record.

The bank has declined the card for an undisclosed reason.

You may want to double-check all fields to ensure the data is complete and accurate.

The billing address must match what your card issuer has on file (where you receive your billing statements). If you feel you have entered all your card information correctly, you may want to contact the issuer of the card to report the problem you experienced. If a card has been declined, you may want to try a different credit card.

Our site is secured with an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. SSL encrypts all information sent between your computer and our servers. This ensures that the message cannot be read during transfer. Once the information is received by the intended recipient, SSL unscrambles the message and verifies that it has not been tampered with.

PersonalWineBottles.com respects the privacy of our customers; our company policy is to never disclose our customers’ information with any other parties.

That said, we only store your name and address as well as order history on our site. We DO NOT store any financial information (credit card information). We store your name, address and order history as a courtesy, so that it’s easier for you to shop when you come back to visit!

On rare occasions, a chosen vintage of a wine will sell out or be replaced by a new release after your order is placed. In such cases, PersonalWineBottles.com will substitute with a comparable vintage. Please be assured we do not substitute with a different type, varietal or winery. We will only substitute a new vintage for the same type, varietal and winery.

Once you have placed and confirmed your order, it is not possible to access it to make adjustments. While we try our best to accommodate order cancellation requests, the timing for such requests is critical.

To make a change to a confirmed order, you must contact us within 24 hours of placing your order. Cancellations requested after 24 hours can not be honored as we have already begun production. Order processing time is contingent upon credit card authorization, and does not include weekends or holidays.

At PersonalWineBottles.com, your satisfaction is very important to us. We are committed to delivering your product in excellent condition and in a timely manner. We provide delivery estimates for you in the shopping cart at the “Confirm Order” stage and provide shipping options and applicable charges at that time. Order processing time is contingent upon credit card authorization, and does not include weekends or holidays.

If you are dissatisfied in any way with your purchase, please contact us within 30 days of your purchase date. We would like the opportunity to correct the situation. Please note that products cannot be returned once opened.

DAMAGED ITEMS: If you received products that were damaged during transit, we will be happy to replace them. We will require you to hold on to the damaged items while we process a damage claim with the carrier.

Please contact us before disposing of any damaged items. If you dispose of the damaged item, we will only be able to replace the damaged item at full replacement cost, as we will not be able to process a damage claim with the carrier without evidence.

INCORRECT OR MISSING ITEMS: If we made a packing error, we would like to resolve it for you! If you received products you did not order, or if you find that items are missing from your order, we are happy to assist you with a replacement order.

If we shipped you incorrect items, we may also require you to hold on to those items and the existing packaging so that we can arrange for a return pick up. Please contact us before disposing of any items. CORKED WINE:Wine should be shipped in cool/mild temperatures.

If excessive heat or cold exists at your ship-to location, we recommend nothing less than overnight shipments. If you choose to use a slower service (2 day, 3 day or Ground service), we can not take responsibility for the integrity of the wine, should it cork.

Our Studio is open during standard business hours (excluding holidays), Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm PST. Please note that we are closed in between Christmas and New Years. No products will be shipped during that time period.

We do not include a message in every box. However, we do have a small tag placed on the neck of the bottle and we’d be happy to provide a “To: / From:” for you. It doesn’t provide enough space for a personal message, but isn’t that why you bought the bottle? Please indicate the appropriate To/From during checkout. Otherwise the tag will be left blank.

What if I require greater customization than is offered on PersonalWineBottles.com? If you are looking for a more customized overall product, we’d recommend our parent company, Fresh Northwest Design. Fresh Northwest Design has been around for 25 years and practically invented the art! There is no better company to work with (outside ourselves of course)!